Live-in Care in Thames View

We can arrange live-in care on the Thames View estate in IG11. After a free assessment at home, we match a trained carer who moves into the spare bedroom and supports one person or both partners through the day, sleeping in the house at night, within a written care plan. The estate has no station, but that matters far less for live-in care than for visits, because the carer makes the journey once and then stays.

Husband and wife, same house, same estate

Thames View is a settled estate with many long-term older tenants, and some are couples who have shared one home since they were young. When one partner starts to need a great deal of help, the other is often the one doing it, sometimes while managing their own health problems. A live-in carer takes the physical work off the healthier partner without splitting them up.

In practice, the carer might help one partner wash, dress and take medication, while cooking for both, doing the shopping on Bastable Avenue and being there at night if either of them falls. We plan for both people at the assessment, because the needs of the "well" partner change too. If both need two people to help them move, one carer will not be enough, and we tell you that up front.

Which Thames View homes have room for a carer?

The estate was built as terraced houses, maisonettes and flats. For live-in care, the question is simply whether there is a bedroom the carer can have to themselves.

• A two or three-bedroom house: nearly always yes, even if a grown-up child's old room needs clearing first.
• A two-bedroom maisonette: usually yes. The carer's room is often on the upper floor while the person being cared for may now sleep downstairs, which is fine.
• A one-bedroom flat: no. A live-in carer cannot sleep in the living room. Visiting care, a move to a bigger home through your landlord, or regular respite are the options to talk through.

If the home is rented from the council or a housing association, let the landlord know a carer will be living in. Check what the tenancy agreement says about someone living in, and keep the landlord's reply on file.

Getting carers in and out without a station

On a changeover day, the arriving carer comes by train to Barking, or by Overground to Barking Riverside, then takes an East London Transit bus. The EL1 and EL2 both run from Barking station to the stops at Christ Church and the health centre on Bastable Avenue, and the EL1 also links Barking Riverside station with the estate.

If the carer or a family member is driving, check whether your road falls inside a controlled parking zone. If it does, you can buy visitor vouchers online through your council permit account, for four hours or a whole day.

Where the carer goes on their daily break

Everyone who lives in needs time off duty. A carer on Thames View has a few places within walking distance:

• Thames View Library on Bastable Avenue, in the building the council now runs as the Thames Community Hub (formerly the Sue Bramley Community Centre), a quiet spot to read, use a computer or phone home.
• The small pedestrianised shopping precinct on Bastable Avenue, for errands that double as a break.
• The open space and the GROUNDED café at The Wilds in Barking Riverside, just to the south.

Who sits with the person during that break is decided before care starts. A neighbour or relative on the estate can do it, or we plan around a time the person is happy alone.

Keeping the person part of the estate

Long-standing residents usually have routines that matter to them: Sunday at Christ Church, a walk to the precinct, a friend two doors down. A live-in carer can keep those going, with a steadying arm on the walk or a wheelchair where needed. For someone living with dementia, that familiarity is often what keeps them settled, and the borough carers' centre on the Heathway runs Memory Lane, a dementia service for people and their carers. See our dementia care page for how live-in support works with it.

Who pays for live-in care on the Thames View estate?

There are three possible sources. The council can assess needs and finances and may contribute, sometimes as a direct payment you can use with us. NHS Continuing Healthcare may pay in full where the main need is a health need. Otherwise, the person pays privately. We set out the council route in detail on our Barking and Dagenham live-in care page, so we will not repeat it here. Our own fees are quoted in writing after the free assessment, never before. For what live-in care includes, see live-in care in London; for shorter help, see home care on Thames View.

What we can help with in Thames View

• A carer living in, with their own room
• Care for one person or a couple
• Personal care through the day
• Medication support
• Cooking, housekeeping and laundry
• Dementia support at home
• Company, outings and appointments
• Cover arranged for the carer's breaks